Alison in Wonderland
by Electric Ella
Summary: Alison, an ordinary sixteen year old girl, gets more than she bargains for when she falls down a manhole in her home town of Glasgow. She has to make the right choice: the White Queen and the citizens of Wonderland are depending on her!


Alison in Wonderland

Alison Kingfisher was sixteen. Pretty. Blonde hair, blue eyes. She had often been told she looked like people's idea of Alice from the story, so that was why she dressed up as Alice for her friend's fancy dress party. She hated dressing up, but her parents had made her go. She was more of a "jacket and jeans" girl, like her mum. Alison felt that she was too plain to make a statement with clothes. In her view, the only thing that mattered was fitting in, conforming to everyone else. She went to a normal high school in Glasgow. Often went shopping with friends. Fit in. That was her motto.

"Hi." Her friend stepped up. They were walking through the streets of Glasgow to the party venue. Alison was about to reply when a white van screeched onto the pavement. She pulled her friend out of the way, but only succeeded in going onto the road! The city of Glasgow was busy: it was a Saturday afternoon. Shoppers were weaving in and out of the traffic, arms laden with expensive items. Alison dragged her friend onto a traffic island in the middle of the road. They would be safe there. A few people walked by, oblivious to the pair in a panic, blind to anything other than themselves.

Just away from the traffic island, there was a cordoned off area. Alison peered through, wondering if they would ever get across the road. Thanks to her appalling timekeeping skills, they were already running late. Inside, there was an open manhole. She heard a voice that seemed to be coming from inside the manhole. Alison began to wonder if the unusually warm summer they were having was starting to get to her. Heat shimmered on the urban landscape. Ice creams dripped. The air was still, fumy from the heavy traffic. Alison knew that it was holidaymakers, realising there was only a week left of the summer holidays!

The sound coming from the manhole was clearer now that Alison was directly in front of it. She stood on the railings that cordoned it off, peering inside. "I'm very, very late! The queen will have my head!" That was a bizarre thing to hear anyway, but from inside a manhole? Alison craned her neck to see if there was someone down there. Just as she did, one of her feet slipped off the railing and she tumbled over, headfirst into the dark.

It was cleaner inside than she expected. The walls seemed to be lined with a fabric that looked like velvet. Perhaps she had concussion. That would explain a lot.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few seconds, Alison hit rock bottom. Literally. She fell onto hard marble, hitting her head again. Marble? In a manhole? Perhaps this was a hallucination. Oh well, she thought, if this is a hallucination, nothing can happen to me. I might as well take a look around.

She came through an archway into a room with six sides, each side with a door. Alison recognised it from the "Alice in Wonderland" books. She was a lot smarter than Alice, taking the key, and then drinking the potion to make herself smaller to get through. On the other side of the door, was Wonderland. Except this was very different to the Wonderland that Lewis Carroll had dreamed up.

Alison felt the desperation in the air. Her heart wrenched as she saw starving animals, begging on the street. Filthy factories belched out smoke. Talking frogs were being used as slaves. This could only be the land of the Red Queen. She was evil, reigning with terror and malice. Alison crouched down, forgetting about her costume. The lacy underskirt ballooned around her, the blue dress and apron on top. Another reason why she hated dressing up. She stood up again. In her apron pocket were several packets of sweets. Alison quickly ate one. There was a strange feeling, and then...she could feel herself shrinking. The red Queen's factories were getting larger and larger. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the sensation stopped. She was about the size of a gerbil now. "Oh great. Now it'll take me forever to get anywhere!"

Alison couldn't wear the dress anymore. It would be like putting a doll in a maxi-dress made for an adult! She hugged the apron to herself and ran. If her suspicions were correct, the White Queen would help her. She had no idea how long it would take her, though. Or which way to go. She just started to walk in the general direction of the giant plateau ahead, on which there was a white marble castle. Alison knew that she looked ridiculous: dress hanging off her, make-up coming off – she felt very self conscious all of a sudden.

About half an hour into the joourney, Alison saw a giant caterpillar. It seemed to be smoking illegal substances. She made a mental note to speak to someone about that, and then quickly moved onwards. After a while, she came to a signpost. By this time, she was exhausted. Her size meant that every distance was miles further than it should have been. Waves of tiredness swept through her. The sky was already getting darker. Alison could feel the exhaustion, her feet aching from walking so far in those impractical, pointy shoes. There wasn't really anywhere to rest, but Alison curled up in a sheltered spot beneath a beautiful tree. The leaves were cut mushroom-like, a dome that loomed over Alison. In any other situation, she would have found it awful to sleep on the ground, but she was so tired that she hardly noticed.

She woke at daybreak, the light blinding her. Alison knew she had to get to the White Queen's house before nightfall: the dress was in shreds by now, and she was having trouble keeping it against her with tired, stiff, arms. Although Alison thought it was a hallucination, she thought that she might as well make an effort to look presentable. Old habits are, after all, hard to break. She bathed in a nearby stream, trying to get rid of any make up left over from her party outfit. Again, it was a sign of trying to fit in. Alison wanted to carry on looking her best.

The signpost wasn't far away from where she had spent the night. Alison made her way towards it. She was completely lost now, as the marble castle had gone out of sight.

She took pride in the fact that she still looked pretty, even though she had spent the night with only a tree for shelter and part of a ragged costume that was miles too large! Alison read the sign again:"Should I go South to Snud, East to Queast, West to the March Hare's house, or..." Alison never got to finish that sentence. There was a green-eyed cat grinning at her.

Alison was slightly worried. She tried to pass by the cat, to go to Queast. It sounded like there would be a queen living there. The cat eyed her suspiciously.

"Are you sure you want to go that way?" The cat asked.

Alison wasn't sure. At her hesitation, the cat explained: "You don't want to go that way. Unless you want those golden curls of yours - and the head they're attached to - gone."

"Okay then. you seem to know our way around. Can you tell me how to get to the White Queen by nightfall." Alison was getting irritated. The cat was standing in her way and she didn't have much sleep.

"Well, your best bet is to speak to the Hatter. He'll get you there."

"Thanks." The animal was grinning now. It could only be the Cheshire Cat. Alison was directed to the house of the Hatter.

Alison knew the Mad Hatter from the books. He was her favourite character, a beacon of hope in an otherwise insane universe. At least, he was for Alice. Alison wasn't sure what to expect. She thought that he might be different in person. A little scary, perhaps. Oh well. There was no turning back now. She went through the gate and climbed onto the table, determined to be understood. A tea party was in full swing, table laid for about a hundred people, however, only two attended: the March Hare and the Hatter. Mad or not, he would have to listen to her. She would be as clear as crystal.

"I was told you would help me find the White Queen." Alison swallowed nervously.

"Were you now?" The Hatter hadn't raised his head. Alison could only see the top of his hat. She was too small to see past the teapot in the centre of the table.

"Yes." Alison hadn't expected him to be so blunt. Two could play at that game, though.

"I'll take you. Just let me see who you are." Alison raised herself to her full height and ran right in front of him. He was sitting at the head of the table.

Hatter lifted his head. He looked slightly different to what Alison had expected. His skin was a deathly white pallor, his features heavily outlined. His hair was a mass of vivid orange curls, exploding from underneath his hat. His clothes might have once been stately, but time and dirt had taken its toll. His trousers were so patched up Alison wasn't sure what colour they had been originally. His suit jacket might have once buttoned up, but Hatter had long since outgrown it and the sleeves barely reached his elbows. Alison supposed she could make an exception, because he was mad, after all.

"You're tiny!" He exclaimed. Alison just looked at him, unimpressed.

Her arms were folded. "Blame it on the sweets. I'm not really this size."

"Okay. I'll take you to the Queen." His voice was high-pitched, strange. "But first, you need a new dress." With that, he disappeared into the massive hat where he lived. He reappeared a few moments later, carrying a red dress. It fit her well. After a cold cup of tea and some stale biscuits, they set off.

"We have to go carefully. The Red Queen is watching everything. But I can help you, Alison." She rode on his shoulder. Something told her that the Hatter had a real sadness in him, and that upset her. Alison couldn't stop staring at his eyes: they sparkled with new life when he looked at her.

"What is your name?"

"Alison."

"You remind me of a girl who came here, many years ago. She came to me, asking the same thing as you."

"Oh." Alison was unsure at what to say to that. She knew he was talking about Alice. _The _Alice.

They reached the White Queen's palace just as evening fell. The White Queen welcomed them with open arms, glad that they weren't ambushed by the Red Queen's guards. The Hatter and Alison ate a large meal provided for them, which also made Alison her normal size again. The Hatter made Alison a new dress (the red one was far too small by now), out of the Queen's finest white silk. It was the most beautiful thing Alison had ever worn, and not quite a dress, with shorts underneath. More practical, he had said. Alison was pleased: it was exactly what she wanted.

The queen gave them free reign of the white, marble castle. That meant they were protected from the Red Queen's enchantments and spies. One day, Alison caught the queen talking to the Hatter. It was obviously about her. She tried not to think about it.

Later that afternoon, the White Queen stopped Alison in the pretty gardens. Everything was meticulously neat: even the trees were all exactly the same shade of pink, the same shape.

"The Red Queen has done many terrible things. I would not even think of being like her." The Queen sat down on a marble bench, spreading her dress about her. "She is evil in its true form. The citizens of Wonderland that have been able to escape her have came to me. I built a hospital for those who were injured by the Red Queen, but it can't hold any more citizens."

Alison had no idea what to reply to this. Was the Queen trying to tell her something? She just mumbled a vague answer "You've done all you can."

"Oh, but I haven't. You see, I can only help a small number of people. Whereas you, Alison...you could do so much more. Be more than I ever will."You are adventurous, brave. You remind me of Alice."

Alison had had enough. "Look, I don't belong here. I don't know who I am anymore. Please just leave me alone. It's all too much. I'm not who you think. I'M NOT ALICE."

Chapter 2

After Alison's outburst that afternoon, the White Queen was wary of her, staying out of way as much as possible. Alison spent her time moping around the castle. She had tried time and again, to rid herself of Wonderland. She even went as far as running to the armoury and using a knife to cut herself. It didn't help. Nothing did. She was stuck in Wonderland.

Alison hadn't seen much of the Hatter. He spent a lot of time with the White Queen. Alison wondered what they were planning. She found out about a week after _her _unsuccessful talk with the Queen.

Hatter asked to see her on the balcony that evening. He looked grim. The spark in his eyes when he looked at Alison had been replaced by a metallic glare.

"I know you're unhappy here. Wonderland's not a place for people like you."

"Is that a criticism or a compliment?" Alison asked angrily.

"Neither. You just don't belong here."

"I noticed you were spending a lot of time with the Queen. What're you going to do with me?"

"Nothing. There's nothing we can do. It's out of the Queen's power to get you home. Instead you'll have to...look, I'm not even entertaining that idea. Do you know the story of Wonderland?" Hatter asked. At Alison's shake of her head, he began. "After Alice killed the Jabberwocky, the Red Queen was abandoned on the outlands. But one of her followers helped her escape and she reigns over Wonderland once again. She is feared. Unlike the White Queen, she is unloved. Unless you count that knave of hearts, who was the one to rescue her".

Alison was silent. Everything she had seen was the Red Queen's handiwork. She knew exactly what the Hatter was going to say next.

"I need you to get rid of the Red Queen. Banishing her isn't going to help. But, getting rid of her once and for all, you can be Queen." His voice had taken on that Scottish accent again: it made their conversation very different. "It's your decision. But only a person like you can do it, otherwise I would have done it myself, years ago. If you leave Wonderland, you will forget about me. But remember this." With that, he gently kissed her cheek. Alison felt warmth spread through her. She understood now. If she was the real Alice, she would want to stay in this hallucination, go clinically insane like everyone here. But she wasn't.

"You keep expecting me to be like Alice, but I'm not at all like her. I'm not brave, clever, or in any way like her."

"No, Alison. You are not like Alice because you are better than her. You knew exactly how to get here: you uncovered the key here in next to no time, you even managed to get to the tea party pretty much on your own. You are just so..." His voice changed back to the high pitch, "Marvellous!"

Alison suppressed a grin. He really was mad as a hatter.

His voice changed again: the seriousness. Laughter gone, Alison listened carefully. "You really are something else, Alison. And that is why I..."

"Tarrant!" The White Queen rushed over, all of her usual grace and elegance disappearing. "We have urgent matters to discuss." Without looking at the girl, the White Queen half dragged the Hatter away.

Alison stayed on the balcony. Lights were just coming on in the village. Overhead, the moon shone a deep, overwhelming, grey light. Thoughts of Tarrant crowded her mind. He obviously wasn't as old as he looked and – Alison could have sworn that he was about to say "And that is why I love you". If he did love her...that was something Alison didn't want to think about. She wasn't a romantic at all. Most of her friends had had boyfriends since they were twelve, whereas she had stayed single all the time. No one had really appealed to her.

Meanwhile, inside the Queen's private quarters, a severe argument was taking place.

"You can't just go around falling in love with people from Outside", the Queen was ranting, pacing as she went.

"But that would mean she would have to become a Wonderland citizen. And this place is making her ill!" The Hatter sank tiredly into a white armchair.

"I know you love her, Tarrant. But that doesn't change anything. Now you _have _to persuade her to get rid of my sister. Otherwise, Alison will leave Wonderland. Tarrant, she is our only hope of saving the citizens of the Red Queen's kingdom. And, if she leaves, you can never bring her back. She is sixteen, remember. Once a person from Outside is over that age, their imagination fades and they can no longer come of their own free will."

The Hatter was silent. He loved her. Alison was the most beautiful girl he had ever met, but he couldn't force her to act against her wishes. "I can try. But I can't force her to do anything."

The White Queen smiled. Everyone did exactly what she wanted them to, the Hatter being no exception. She was more like her sister than she thought.

The Hatter went to see Alison again. She was sitting on a lacy garden chair, looking over the balcony. It was such a lonely picture that he wanted to rush over, seat her on his lap and kiss her. But, he took the White Queen's advice and sat down in the chair opposite. It was Alison who spoke first.

"Well. I guess you were talking about me." There were no secrets anymore.

"The White Queen still has the head of the Jabberwocky. If you drink its blood, we can see if you are really the one who is needed to save Wonderland." His tone had changed again. The harsh, deep Scottish accent was back, adding seriousness to the mood.

Alison drank the blood. It was a deep purple. If the test result was real, she would be able to write her fate on the parchment in front of her. She had no idea what she wanted the result to be.

Then, the Jabberwocky blood took over her senses. Alison began to draw furiously. At first, the lines were unclear. But, when she had finished, it was a picture of her, with a crown. Her eyes widened in shock:

She was meant to take the throne of the Red Queen.

The White Queen understood her fear of the other Queen, but said that Alison must kill the Red Queen that day or the blood would lose its grip on her senses and she would no longer know her destiny. The White Queen showed Alison the Oraculum scroll. It showed Alison playing chess against the Red Queen.

"If you win a game of chess against the queen then her crown will be yours. You will kill my sister and take over her throne. Am I clear?" Alison felt afraid. She nodded, but then asked:

"What happens if I lose?"

"You will be sent straight back to the Outside, where you came from. But the blood showed your destiny. You have to win."

Chapter 3

Alison had to walk to the Red Queen's castle, with the Hatter beside her. Tarrant was quiet.

"What's wrong?" Alison asked. If it had been anyone else, she probably would have just stayed silent. Normally Alison felt awkward in front of people when they were acting differently.

"With me? I couldn't be better."

They walked in silence until Alison said "I want you to be there, when I play this chess game. Will you?"

"I doubt if the Red Queen will let me", he said, sadly.

Alison wondered if there was something more. She asked. Tarrant's reply was less than comforting. "It's your destiny, so you have to do it alone."

"You think that just because of some random thing I wrote while under the influence of jabberwocky blood, I might not be able to win this chess game if you're there with me? Nonsense."

"If you want, then. I'll come with you." Alison hugged Tarrant, filled with a new sense of confidence.

The Hatter and Alison marched through the grand ebony doors. The entire castle was heart shaped, and everything was either the dark ebony wood or deep, red velvet. Heart shaped doorways led to strange rooms, most of them empty. Even the garden, which was heart shaped, had heart shaped rose bushes (Alison noticed that they seemed to be dripping red paint). In the very centre of the garden was a large bush, in the shape of a head. The head of the Red Queen complete with crown.

Alison was only allowed into the throne room after an hour long tour of the castle and gardens. Tarrant came with her. The throne room had been set up with an ornate table. On it was a chessboard, similar to the one Alison had at home, apart from the fact that the squares were red and white, with shimmery gold centres. Alison was shocked to see that two frogs were holding the table up! She was even more cruel than Alison had first thought.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a very short game." The Queen smiled. It was a scary smile, one that reminded Alison that she didn't belong in that world.

The Red Queen thought that Alison would have no love for Wonderland, and would instead go by her own wishes and deliberately lose the game so she would be able to go home, back to her family and friends. The Red Queen thought that she knew Alison's way of thinking.

Alison hadn't been concentrating on the game. She was having an internal dilemma with herself. Her family would have called the police; there would be a search party. Her friend would be so upset – and on Eve's birthday as well! Alison realised that she had forgotten all of them. All at once, Alison realised that this wasn't a test of how well she could play chess.

If she won, Alison would save Wonderland and all its citizens. If she lost, she would see her family again. She thought of the relieved expressions on her mother and father's faces. And then she thought about what she had seen when she first opened that door into Wonderland. All those animals, as expendables, slaves to the Queen who she could execute for her own amusement. Alison was terrified. What kind of choice was this? She knew the White Queen and the whole of Wonderland were depending on her to make the right choice.

The Red Queen was getting impatient. Alison hadn't moved a piece for about three minutes. Iracebeth wanted to send the stupid girl back to the Outside and sit down with a warm pig. This was the most boring game of chess she'd ever played. Iracebeth would have rather played cards, but on that ridiculous scroll her sister was always going on about, there was something about her a chess game. Oh well, she thought, Alison will end up losing, whatever happens.

Iracebeth turned back to the game to see that Alison had made her move, putting the Queen's king in check. Iracebeth looked at the board, confused, but quickly moved her king out the way. The game went on like that for a while. Iracebeth was determined to win.

Alison stared at the Red Queen. She had her next move planned perfectly. It would catch the Queen out and put her in a checkmate that she wouldn't be expecting. But was that really what she wanted to do? The internal battle of her feelings continued. Alison had no idea what to do. On one hand, her family, on the other, Wonderland. How could she choose? She remembered the people and animals in desperation, the sadness everywhere. The Red Queen's cruelty towards Wonderland.

With a quiet, yet purposeful, "Checkmate!" Alison won the game.

There was a long discussion between the new Red Queen and the White Queen. Alison disagreed with everything Mirana said. "I can't kill her. I want to be peaceful, like you."

But Mirana's argument went like this: "Then what are we to do with her? If we banish her, like last time, she'll come crawling back!"

Alison was one step ahead of Mirana. "Perhaps that was your only choice before. But now I'm here. I'm the new Red Queen, meaning I can do the enchantments that your sister was able to do."

Mirana understood Alison's way of thinking. It was decided that the Red Queen would have her own rule over a small part of the Outlands. A castle would be constructed on the quagmire, held up by Alison's enchantments. Iracebeth would be there, along with any member of Wonderland who wished to join her. The Wonderland citizens would be free to come and go as they pleased, but Iracebeth would be bound (again by Alison's enchantments) to the castle.

A few weeks into her reign as the Red Queen, Alison had the entire castle redecorated. The Queen's apartments were a beautiful shade of blue. The ebony was pulled away, replaced with a light birch. The rest of the castle exterior was white, but shrouded in a red sheen that sparkled in the sunlight. The only thing Alison kept from the previous Queen's reign were the red hearts everywhere. When the interior was so dark, they were hardly noticed. But, above doorways and in little nooks and crannies, were painted hearts. That was how Alison remembered that she was Queen.

For a while, things went back to normal in Wonderland. The citizens were freed from their slavery to the evil Red Queen. As Mirana said, the trees were happy again and Wonderland was a place of laughter and happiness once more.

The Hatter arranged a massive tea party to celebrate. And everyone in the White Queen's kingdom joined in. But the one person he wanted to be there was sitting on a throne. She had an old spellbook out, one that she had spent hours looking for. She was leafing through it, looking for one thing in particular: a spell to get her back home. At last she found it. Propping the book open at the right page on her throne, Alison went to find a piece of parchment and an ink pen. She started to write.

_Dear Tarrant, _

_I don't think I'm ready to be Queen yet, but I'll be back before you know it. I just want to_ _make sure my family are okay, see my friends again. Like you said a little while ago, I just don't belong here. I'm taking the spellbook with me so I can come back to Wonderland as often as I like. It may take some time, but when I feel ready to be Queen, I'll come back. Tell the court that I'm away on business. And I know what you were going to say to me that night on the balcony. I really, really like you, but I can't figure out my emotions yet. I'll tell you what I decide when I next come to Wonderland. _

_Fairfarren._

_From Alison. _

It was rushed, but Alison was sure he would understand.

She muttered the words of the spell and everything dissolved around her. She held the spellbook tightly in her arms and thought about her family. How delighted they would be to see her!

"Wow! You look clean for someone who's just been down there!" Her friend laughed. Alison was shocked! Weren't they worried at all? Then she realised that Wonderland time must run differently to time here. She needn't have been at all worried.

Alison ended up going to the party. She spent the rest of the year at home, becoming a normal schoolchild again. Most of her time was spent studying. She didn't have much time to think, but when she did, it was about Wonderland. Alison found herself unable to concentrate on anything, because she was missing Wonderland so much. And not just Wonderland: she was missing one person in particular. Alison knew she had changed a lot in her time there, and she felt more like Alice than Alison.

One day, Alison decided that she would go back, forever this time. She opened the spellbook and said the words.

Alison found herself back in the red throne room again. It was clear that some time had passed while she was Outside, but no more than a few months.

Alison rushed towards the tea party (in the time she had spent as Queen, Alison understood the layout of Wonderland). She found Tarrant sitting at the table. It looked like the table had been set up for months: rats crawled under the tablecloth; rotting fruit and mouldy cheese were all bunched together on plates.

"I had this all set up for tea. You're late, Alison." He had gone insane again. Alison knew how to coax him back again though.

"I'm here now. And I'm not leaving. At least not for a while."

Slowly, a grin spread through his face, showing the gap in his front teeth. He was back.

Alison spent the some of the time with her family and the rest in Wonderland. After four years of going between the worlds, she decided that she really did love Tarrant and they ended up getting married.

One evening, Alison and Tarrant were walking through the castle gardens. Alison had planted new, beautiful flowers and got rid of the awful topiary head of the evil queen. "It still needs a lot of work", she admitted. "But in the spring, this will be the Taj Mahal of all gardens!"

At the Hatter's blank expression, Alison explained what it was. The Hatter's face lit up. "What if we painted some of the castle to look like the Outside? We can have that building you were talking about."

"W I like your idea of having the mural of places in...Well...the Outside. I guess I should start calling it that now that I'm a real Wonderland sovereign!" The Hatter laughed. Alison realised that was one of the first times she had ever heard him laugh. It was a high pitched giggle, and that set Alison off as well. They must have looked mad as hatters, laughing together at nothing in particular!

They spent a lot of time together in the next four years. Alison wasn't quite able to understand time in Wonderland: Tarrant's pocket watch seemed to run backwards! She was still getting used to Wonderland, but it felt more and more like her home. Gradually she became accustomed to the weird and wonderful people. And over time, she and Tarrant became closer, until one day, Tarrant met Alison when she was revisiting some of the places she had been: that day she went back to the signpost and to the tree that was shaped like a mushroom. There was a bench that she had put there, that had an inscription: "Those who are weary can rest here", so that if anyone was ever in the same situation as Alison, they would know they were safe. The Hatter sat down on the bench with her and took her hands in his.

"Alison Kingfisher." He said, "Will you be my wife?"

Alison and Tarrant were very happy together. They were the Red King and Queen, and they ruled over Wonderland together. Even though the White Queen still reigned over her kingdom, Alison's was far more popular. She told stories about the Outside, so people and talking animals could hear about her world. The Hatter and Alison were famous for years afterwards because they were the only rulers in Wonderland history who had shared the position of royalty. And it is said that every citizen in the kingdom of the new Red Queen wore the finest hats ever made.

The End. 


End file.
